Native American Boarding Schools
Jeremy Penno
Ms. Riney
English 11
February 21, 2013
Native American Boarding Schools
Native Americans have had a long and difficult experience since the Europeans had arrived to their land. They had relocated the natives, committed a genocide on them, and even reeducated them to forget their culture. Many Native American children had were forced to go to boarding schools; the parents were either given supplies to live, or the parents were forced to give up their children. The whole point of boarding school was to eliminate the native culture and replace it with European culture. This was a dark history for the American people that committed these terrible crimes.
The Native American had a long history dating farther than anyone can find and was usually passed down through oral told stories. “It is not just that the sounds are strange to the ears of non-Native people…[to European ears this was gibberish].” (Midgette 2). Europeans realized that their history was passed through stories, so the Europeans decided to forcefully educate the Native children to eliminate their history and culture. This had a great toll on the Native Americans over the many years that this program started to take effect.
Many Europeans had a harsh view of Native Americans and their culture and life.
“… I think no great god will be done till they be more civilized” (Eliot 1). Many Europeans thought of the Native Americans as savage, uncivilized people. Even though the Natives shared many things in common in society structure. As Europeans thought they were different they were not so different. This lead to issues later. War broke out between them and later boarding schools were used to eliminate the Native culture.
To Native Americans European society was a new strange world that they were not accepted into.“I was both frightened and insulted by such trifling” (zitkala-sa 50). In this quotation the author who is just a little girl at the time does not
Ms. Riney
English 11
February 21, 2013
Native American Boarding Schools
Native Americans have had a long and difficult experience since the Europeans had arrived to their land. They had relocated the natives, committed a genocide on them, and even reeducated them to forget their culture. Many Native American children had were forced to go to boarding schools; the parents were either given supplies to live, or the parents were forced to give up their children. The whole point of boarding school was to eliminate the native culture and replace it with European culture. This was a dark history for the American people that committed these terrible crimes.
The Native American had a long history dating farther than anyone can find and was usually passed down through oral told stories. “It is not just that the sounds are strange to the ears of non-Native people…[to European ears this was gibberish].” (Midgette 2). Europeans realized that their history was passed through stories, so the Europeans decided to forcefully educate the Native children to eliminate their history and culture. This had a great toll on the Native Americans over the many years that this program started to take effect.
Many Europeans had a harsh view of Native Americans and their culture and life.
“… I think no great god will be done till they be more civilized” (Eliot 1). Many Europeans thought of the Native Americans as savage, uncivilized people. Even though the Natives shared many things in common in society structure. As Europeans thought they were different they were not so different. This lead to issues later. War broke out between them and later boarding schools were used to eliminate the Native culture.
To Native Americans European society was a new strange world that they were not accepted into.“I was both frightened and insulted by such trifling” (zitkala-sa 50). In this quotation the author who is just a little girl at the time does not
Cited: Eliot, john. “Puritan missions to the Indians”. History reference center. Puritan missions to the Indians, 2009. Web. 1/29/13. Stan, Susan. “Boarding Schools”. Ojibwe: Rourke publishing, LLC, 1989. Web. 1/29/13. Marr, Carolyn.”Assimilation through Education: Indian Boarding schools in the Pacific Northwest”. University Libraries. American Indians of the Pacific Northwest. Web. 2/4/13. Salgado, Erine. “Indian Boarding Schools”. California Indian Education. Web. 2/4/13. Midgette, sally. “The Native Language Of North American Structure”. Ebsco. Web. 1/29/13.